SEATTLE, Wash. – Washington State Governor Jay Inslee’s Choose Washington NMA Executive Council today announced the selection of Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis with Fairfax, Va.-based Teal Group, to conduct an in-depth analysis of the state’s competitive position to design, manufacture and assemble a new middle-market airplane (NMA) under consideration by the Boeing Company.

The Choose Washington NMA council, comprised of representatives from business, labor, local and state government, and others, is tasked with making the business case for Washington state as the preferred site for the new passenger plane program.

The NMA Council chose Aboulafia and Teal Group to do a thorough competitive analysis that will give an objective view of Washington’s strengths and areas to improve, while ensuring credibility and transparency of data.

Washington state is home to the largest aerospace manufacturing cluster in the world with the deepest talent pool, a comprehensive workforce training system, and a tax structure targeted for industry success. The citizens and state are investing billions in transportation and freight mobility.

“By nearly every measure, Washington remains the leading contender in the global aerospace industry. But we don’t take our world-class standing for granted. We need to know what makes our state strong, and where we need to get stronger. This independent analysis by some of the most credible experts in the world will help us do exactly that as we prepare to compete for Boeing’s NMA and in our ongoing work to maintain a strong supply chain throughout Washington state,” said Gov. Jay Inslee.

“The Machinists Union has followed the work of Mr. Aboulafia and Teal Group for many years. We are excited to have secured the gold standard of the aerospace industry analysts,” said Jon Holden, IAM District 751 President. “We all agree that our aerospace manufacturing hub here in Washington state, along with our workforce, is second to none. We look forward to learning how we stack up against other sites as we work to land the next airplane program.”

“The Teal Group’s extensive work conducting commercial aerospace competitive analyses gives Washington an advantage in advancing the state’s value proposition,” said Kelly Maloney, Aerospace Futures Alliance CEO. “We believe the study will help propel Washington as a lead contender in Boeing’s decision of where to design and build the NMA.”

“Securing the highest-caliber expertise in a timely manner for this competitive assessment is one of the first crucial steps in a collaborative, intense and multi-dimensional effort by the council and our partners over the next year or more,” said Brian Bonlender, Commerce director and lead organizer of the Choose Washington NMA Council. “We are delighted to have Richard and Teal Group producing a rigorous, academic study to inform our work.”

Richard Aboulafia has decades of experience managing consulting projects in the commercial and military aircraft field, and analysing broader defense and aerospace trends. He has advised numerous aerospace companies, including most prime and many second- and third-tier contractors in the United States, Europe and Asia. He also advises numerous financial institutions on aerospace market conditions.